| This week we’re talking about questions. Some questions can kill a conversation. But other questions can really make a conversation come alive. How do you know which is which? Is this secret in a text book? Will you learn this skill by preparing for the iELTS? Is there a map that reveals where this information is buried? No. So I’ll just tell you. |
| The Secret To Asking Dynamite Questions |
| It’s really quite simple. Talk about the other person. Everyone’s favorite topic is himself / herself. But what if the other person is a fisherman and you think watching the grass grow is more exciting than fishing? The trick is to talk about the other person / his/her interests AND something that interests you. Once you find this topic, any question you ask will be a good one. Quick story: There’s a guy here in my county in Virginia I’ve known off and on for some time. All I knew about him was that he’s a neighbor, he’s a farmer, and he’s involved in the local government. So when we talked, since I’m not interested in farming or local politics, my questions were about things like the weather. Not a very interesting conversation. But then, one day as we were talking, I discovered by accident that he used to be a translator for the U.S. Army during the Cold War and lived in Berlin and Leningrad. Travel… Languages… History… Now we had something to talk about! So how do you find people like this who share your interests? Because not everyone is interested in what you like to talk about. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a simple way to find them… And speak to them in English? Well, I have an idea. Below you’ll find a link where you can vote for your favorite conversation topic(s). Tell me what genuinely interests you. And what you would like to discuss in English. Then, if enough Vitamin V readers vote for the same topic, maybe I can open an online chat room where you can meet others who share your interest and practise your English at the same time. Does that sound like a good idea? |
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